Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bra and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,549 in Bra, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Bra
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Bra Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Bra

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,549

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bra and in Chiang Mai

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Bra and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,549 in Bra versus $936 in Chiang Mai.

Bra $1,549
Chiang Mai $936

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,248 in Bra versus $1,457 in Chiang Mai.

Bra $2,248
Chiang Mai $1,457

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,948 in Bra versus $1,979 in Chiang Mai.

Bra $2,948
Chiang Mai $1,979

Living in Bra is roughly 66% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bra is 14% above, Chiang Mai is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.77 €20.41

$2.24 ฿75.6

916.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.40 €35.31

$19.00 ฿641

107.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 €10.22

$5.55 ฿187

105.41%

Cappuccino

$1.74 €1.56

$1.67 ฿56.5

4.19%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.79 €3.40

$0.64 ฿21.55

492.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 €1.48

$0.31 ฿10.31

432.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.43 €4.86

$2.36 ฿79.6

130.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 €3.95

$3.66 ฿124

20.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 €1.42

$1.95 ฿65.8

-18.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 €2.32

$1.44 ฿48.48

79.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 €2.38

$1.33 ฿45.04

100.00%

Eggs

$3.21 €2.88

$2.28 ฿77.1

40.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.98 €11.63

$16.45 ฿555

-21.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.54 €10.34

$2.78 ฿93.9

315.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.11 €17.13

$9.31 ฿314

105.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.03

$2.35 ฿79.4

-3.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 €1.89

$0.97 ฿32.80

117.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 €2.02

$1.60 ฿53.9

40.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.34 €2.99

$1.50 ฿50.6

122.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 €1.53

$1.28 ฿43.12

33.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 €1.49

$1.10 ฿37.19

51.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 €1.02

$0.71 ฿23.82

60.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$0.49 ฿16.37

16.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.68 €5.98

$4.14 ฿140

61.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.10 €5.46

$17.52 ฿591

-65.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.47

$1.61 ฿54.5

1.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 €1.98

$2.78 ฿94.0

-20.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.63 €1.46

$0.87 ฿29.31

87.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.35 €41.54

$54.1 ฿1,826

-14.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.04 €7.21

$1.16 ฿39.06

593.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.27 €2.03

$0.53 ฿17.80

328.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.21 €10.05

$2.42 ฿81.8

363.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.45 ฿48.90

42.76%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$27.3K €24.5K

$21.1K ฿710.7K

29.76%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$29.5K €26.4K

$26.9K ฿909.3K

9.48%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$112 €101

$62.2 ฿2,098

80.81%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$10.21 €9.15

$12.17 ฿411

-16.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.26 €25.33

$20.12 ฿679

40.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.9 €69.8

$37.31 ฿1,259

108.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 €8.20

$6.49 ฿219

40.99%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$111 €99.8

$736 ฿24.8K

-84.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.0K €17.0K

$14.8K ฿498.3K

28.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.1

$53.4 ฿1,801

90.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.2 €44.95

$24.64 ฿831

103.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 €102

$91.5 ฿3,087

24.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 €120

$71.9 ฿2,428

86.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$669 €600

$482 ฿16.3K

38.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$441 €395

$309 ฿10.4K

42.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$562 €503

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-44.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 €452

$633 ฿21.4K

-20.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.1

5.57

-44.34%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Bra: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Bra

$441 28.5%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 30% $132

Groceries & Markets

Bra

$314 20.2%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 25.3% $79

Eating Out

Bra

$295 19.1%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 73.7% $217

Clothing & Footwear

Bra

$180 11.6%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 39.6% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bra

$151 9.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 37.4% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Bra

$96 6.2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 47.7% $46

Getting Around

Bra

$72 4.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 15.1% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $669 in Bra and $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $39 in Bra vs $19 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $314 vs $234 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Bra

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

10:33 10:33 AM

16:33 4:33 PM

6 h ahead of Bra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,224

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Bra Chiang Mai 8,640 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Bra
Chiang Mai

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Bra vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai wins on cost – living expenses run 40% lower than in Bra. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Chiang Mai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,323 in Bra and $1,403 in Chiang Mai to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $669 in Bra versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $111 in Bra versus $736 in Chiang Mai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Bra. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Chiang Mai is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Bra and Chiang Mai are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.